We should not have any illusions about China’s energy use. This one country with 1.3 billion people (to our 0.3 billion) [1, 2] accounts for almost half of the world’s coal consumption (and growing fast) [3], yet is suffering horrible environmental impacts because of it [4-6].

At the same time, China is also investing heavily in low-carbon energy. In 2014 they invested $89.5 billion to our $51.8 billion [7]. China is now the leading investor in renewable energy, trumping Europe.

Because of all this investment in low-carbon energy, we risk losing out on jobs, profits, and production of hardware to China. Because of our under-investment, ideas that are born in the US become reality in China. The products of those realized ideas are then manufactured in China and sold to the US, with the majority of jobs and profits staying in China, not in the US.

Skeptic Claims and One-Liners

Carbon Fee Skeptic Claim: Why should we move if China isn’t moving? One-Liner: China is moving, and is already selling their solar panels back to us.

Carbon Fee Skeptic Claim: It doesn’t matter what we’re doing because China and India are burning so much coal. One-Liner: They’re also making huge investments in renewables, so if we don’t move, we will permanently miss the opportunity to establish the jobs, manufacturing, and intellectual communities that come with being the world leader in an industry.